Portable Air Cleaner Makes It Easier To Breathe

By Jill Faulkner


Individuals who have difficulty due to pollutants in the atmosphere, even in their home, may benefit from a portable air cleaner. Not all are equally effective. Some only provide mechanical filters to trap particles while others are made to prevent bacteria, odors and gases. Before making a purchase, be sure to know the features needed or wanted.

It is important that consumers know how serious their problem is before making a purchase. For the cleanest atmosphere in a home, choose the right unit to do the job. Asthma and chemical allergy sufferers usually need a different type of filter than those who suffer from allergies due to pollen and dust. Some chemical allergy sufferers have found that certain HEPA filters actually make their problem worse as the glue used to manufacture the filter is released into the room.

The volume of the room being treated is also a significant factor. In order to keep the room clean, the atmosphere must be exchanged several times each hour. The greatest of filters will not be effective in a large room if it is sized too small. The very minimum requirement is that a device offer two full air exchanges each hour.

The location the device will be used is also important in determining the best choice. In bedrooms where noise can be a factor, a smaller unit that exchanges a minimum amount of air may be desirable. In family rooms where traffic is higher, the device should have a higher exchange rate.

Units barely meet the minimum requirements for a room will need to operate on the highest speed most of the time. However, if the consumer selects a more efficient device, it may be possible to turn the fan speed to a lower setting to allow quieter operation while still exchanging the appropriate number of times.

Some devices have built in sensors to monitor the particulate matter flowing into the intake. These units begin on high but switch to lower speeds as the number of particles decrease. Unfortunately, the current devices with this feature do not measure a large enough area to provide an effective operation of the system.

Critical measurements of the effectiveness of a unit include the actual number of exchanges offered each hour and the percentage of particulates removed during each exchange. The second number is called efficiency. Higher efficiency machines remove more particles each time the exchange takes place. The efficiency of the device is a better measure than efficiency of a filter. The HEPA filter removes all bout 0.03% of particles greater than 0.3 microns, however it can be installed on a machine that allows 50% of each exchange bypass the filter, reducing machine efficiency, causing a poor performance overall and not solving the problem

If an individual has difficulty breathing at home a portable air cleaner can be helpful. These devices are designed for effective removal of certain pollutants. Selecting the correct device can help to improve one's home atmosphere making breathing easier.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment